01 June 2012

KOKOMO, Ind. — Indiana University Kokomo is building community partnerships to educate area families about the need to attend college, as part of the newly-formed Howard County College Success Coalition. The group, which is part of a state network, has a goal of educating high school students and their parents about the necessity and affordability of post-secondary education.

Students show the importance of studying during a New Student Orientation in the Spring of 2012.

Tyana Lange, director of enrollment management, invites interested community members to join the effort and learn more about the Coalition at a breakfast meeting on Wednesday, June 13, 8 a.m., at Inventrek, 700 E. Firmin St.

"Children in the community need to grow up with the expectation they will continue their educations after high school," Lange said. "We want to make sure families understand that the jobs their children want will require some kind of post-secondary education. It is important for families to understand college is attainable, and there are ways to pay for it."

IU Kokomo's involvement in this Coalition fits with Chancellor Michael Harris' campus themes of Academic Excellence and Student Success, Regional Transformation, and Building Relationships and Making Friends.

The Coalition seeks community support to reach families, asking schools, faith-based organizations, youth service groups, service clubs, business owners, government agencies and libraries to participate.

"We just need them to help in any way they can, to educate our community in how college is available here," she said. "In an ideal world, when a high school student goes to the grocery store, the cashier would ask him if he's filled out his financial aid form yet. That's the kind of support this community needs."

Lange said filling out the financial aid form is the first step in making college a reality for some students, but many in Howard County don't take that crucial step.

"Nearly 75 percent of IU Kokomo students receive some form of financial aid, which shows there is money out there to make post-secondary education possible," she said. "If you don't apply for it, you can't get it. We have to help people understand they need to apply, and help them through the process.

"We have opportunities other counties really want," she said. "Everybody, regardless of their background, can do some kind of post-secondary experience."

For more information or to join, go to www.learnmoreindiana.org/csc, or contact Lange at tylange@iuk.edu.

Indiana University Kokomo serves north central Indiana.

01 June 2012

KOKOMO, Ind. — The last chance for just about everybody living today to see a transit of Venus across the sun is Tuesday, June 5.

The Observatory at IU Kokomo

The next occurrence of this once-in-a-century event is 105 years away, so Indiana University Kokomo's Observatory wants to be sure nobody in north central Indiana misses it.

The Observatory, 105 E. Rebecca Lane, opens at 5 p.m. for solar viewing, with the transit expected to begin just after 6 p.m.

During this rare alignment, the planet Venus passes directly between the earth and sun, and is visible as a small dot gliding slowly across the sun's face. The entire event lasts about seven hours.

Patrick Motl, assistant professor of physics, will keep the observatory open until 10 p.m., so visitors may also view Saturn through the telescopes.

"We'll be able to watch the transit up to sunset, which will be close to mid-transit, with Venus halfway across the disc of the sun," Motl said.

A transit of Venus is rare, coming in pairs eight years apart, separated by 100 years. The last transit was in 2004. Motl said the next one isn't expected until 2117.

"I'm not so optimistic to plan on seeing that one," he said.

Astronomer and mathematician Johannes Kepler in 1627 was the first to predict that Venus would pass between Earth and the sun. In 1716, Edmund Halley, of Halley's Comet fame, determined it was possible to compute the distance of the earth from the sun during the transit.

By the time of the 1761 and 1769 transits, scientists calculated that distance at 95 million miles. In 1896, the international scientific community adopted Simon Newcomb's value, a distance from earth to sun of 92,702,000, plus or minus 53,700 miles.

Those who want to see the transit should take the usual precautions for viewing solar events. Viewers should never look directly at the sun, and never look at the sun with binoculars. Simple pinhole projectors may be created at home using instructions on the web. Instructions are available at solar.center.stanford.edu/observe/

Those who cannot attend can watch live feed of the transit of Venus from the Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawaii, at venustransit.nasa.gov/2012/transit/webcast.php

For more information about the transit of Venus, go to www.astro.indiana.edu/transit.shtml

The event is free and open to the public. Free parking is available.

Indiana University Kokomo serves north central Indiana.

29 May 2012

KOKOMO, Ind. — Paintings, drawings, three-dimensional art, and mixed media works created by some of the area's most talented high school students are featured at the Indiana University Kokomo Art Gallery.

17th Annual High School Art Exhibition. View more art on Flickr.

The 17th annual High School Art Exhibition opens with a reception and awards ceremony from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 30, in the Art Gallery, located in Upper Alumni Hall.

Susan Skoczen, gallery director, said students from high schools in the region are invited to display their work during the annual show. This year, it includes artwork by seniors from Kokomo, Oak Hill, Peru, and Tri-Central high schools.

"For the students who are considering a career in art, this would give them a first experience as part of an exhibition," she said. "Even those who don't choose a career in art benefit, because they're seeing that an art gallery is not so scary. They may gain an interest and visit other galleries and shows, broadening their own experiences."

She said because only seniors are included, "this is something the students really look forward to during high school, to have their turn to participate in this show. They also like to see what other students are creating at their schools."

The show is a wonderful opportunity for the community to see what kind of creative work students are doing in the schools, and gives the high school artists a chance to be part of a gallery exhibit.

The annual High School Art Exhibition continues through June 16. The Art Gallery is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. It is closed Sunday, Monday and Friday. Free parking is available on campus.

For more information call 765-455-9523, e-mail gallery2@iuk.edu, or visit www.iuk.edu.

Indiana University Kokomo serves north central Indiana.

25 May 2012

KOKOMO, Ind. — Four hundred seventy-one full-time Indiana University Kokomo students earned dean's list honors for the spring 2012 semester. Dean's list students earned a minimum 3.5 grade point average (GPA) on a scale of 4.0, while carrying at least 12 credit hours throughout the grading period. Students are listed by hometown.

Read more...